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00:00Now it's usually pretty obvious whenever a video game is about to spring a boss fight
00:03on a player.
00:04Whether it's by entering a massive room which proceeds with a checkpoint alongside
00:08a generous helping of resources, or by arriving at a pivotal point in the game's story,
00:13an imminent boss fight is usually so well telegraphed that it's almost impossible
00:17to miss the signs.
00:18But there are some games that like to mess with this formula and spring a boss on you
00:21that leaves you just going, wait what, what's going on here, oh god, I'm dead, fantastic.
00:26So let's have a chat about them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these
00:29are 10 of the best boss fights that nobody saw coming.
00:3310.
00:34Flying Dragon Agil, Elden Ring
00:36Alongside its many stunning vistas, Elden Ring's land between is likewise brimming
00:41with countless enemies that can quickly put an end to players' adventures.
00:45Even in the opening area of Limgrave, developers FromSoftware did not pull any punches.
00:50In addition to being home to Margit, the fel omen, who makes a particularly challenging
00:54first main boss, this picturesque area also contains a brutally difficult tree sentinel
00:58and crucible knight that are just tucked away in an evergale.
01:01However, a bigger surprise awaits players while exploring Agil Lake in the east of the
01:05area.
01:06Just north of the ominously named Dragon Burnt Ruins in the centre of the lake, a large dragon
01:11swoops down out of nowhere and wipes out a group of enemies that are sitting at a bonfire.
01:16Without any time to register what happened, the epic soundtrack kicks in and players find
01:20themselves in a fight against Flying Dragon Agil, one of a handful of dragon bosses in
01:25the game.
01:26While Agil is able to annihilate low-level players with a single breath attack, trying
01:29to fight them early on in the game is a recipe for death.
01:32The game teaches players that sometimes it's better to just come back later, but there
01:36is nothing more satisfying than finally felling this powerful dragon.
01:409.
01:41Donkey Kong Punch Out!
01:432009
01:44Originally released in 1987, Punch Out! on the NES is best known for its notorious final
01:49boss fight against Mike Tyson.
01:51Although Tyson didn't reappear in the 2009 Wii game of the same name along with the rest
01:56of the colourful roster of returning fighters, this title had a rather unexpected special
02:00guest to make up for it.
02:01After completing both the career and title defence modes, players will unlock Mack's
02:05last stand, a boss rush in which protagonist Mack must fight an endless onslaught of opponents
02:11until he loses three times, at which point the character retires and the player's save
02:15file will be disabled.
02:17Although players will predominantly face off against boxers from the title defence mode
02:20here, it is possible to go toe to toe against a secret fighter, that contender being none
02:25other than Donkey Kong.
02:27This classic Nintendo character is as strong as he looks.
02:30Able to knock players out in a single blow, Donkey Kong is easily one of the hardest bosses
02:35in the entire game.
02:36Given that all opponents in this mode are chosen at random, it's entirely possible
02:39to play this mode without meeting Kong in the ring.
02:42Those lucky enough to see him, though, are in for a delightful surprise and an incredibly
02:46tough fight.
02:478.
02:48Laura – The Evil Within
02:50While the Tango game works as visceral survival horror, The Evil Within is full of many nightmarish
02:55creatures that range from the chainsaw-wielding sadist to the horrifying keeper.
02:59However, none of the creatures that players encounter in this game are as unforgettably
03:03terrifying as Laura.
03:05With her razor-sharp nails at the end of their spidery limbs, her long black hair draped
03:10over her face, and ear-piercing shriek, everything about Laura's appearance lets players know
03:15that she is not to be trifled with.
03:17An even scarier than this reoccurring boss' design, though, is her introduction.
03:21At the end of Chapter 4, players will find themselves in a short hallway with a pile
03:25of bodies laying at the end.
03:26Upon getting closer to the corpses, Laura will make her unannounced arrival by bursting
03:30from them in a heart-pounding jump scare before players must then flee from her.
03:35As if this jump scare wasn't harrowing enough, she makes a further two sudden arrivals in
03:39the game, and features in the title's most nerve-wracking boss fight in which players
03:43must defeat her by luring her into an incinerator.
03:46Laura was so iconic that she even made a brief appearance in the sequel, where she
03:50once again caught players by complete surprise.
03:537.
03:54Rick the Door Technician – Star Wars Jedi Survivor
03:57One of the best aspects of Star Wars Jedi Survivor was how it made players feel like
04:01a powerful Jedi.
04:03This was partly thanks to its satisfying combat system, which combined Souls-like mechanics
04:07with stylish limb dismemberment to gleeful effect.
04:10Like the previous game, the combat shone the brightest within the selection of boss fights.
04:14Whether it was facing a ferocious Rancor or locking lightsabers with the Sith, each
04:18boss encounter was a thrilling high point in this excellent sequel.
04:22But one boss that nobody expected to meet during their adventure was Rick the Door Technician.
04:27After fighting your way through a heavily defended hangar on the Imperial base of Kobo,
04:31players will encounter Rick in the next hallway where he valiantly challenges Kal.
04:35With his health bar appearing on screen, players will believe that they're in for one last
04:39epic fight.
04:40However, despite this trooper's courage, Rick is no more powerful than any of the hundreds
04:44of other standard enemies that players have faced at this point, and is defeated in one
04:48hit.
04:49The boss fight was a fantastic punchline designed to relieve the tension after surviving the
04:53tough hangar fight.
04:55Though Rick isn't the most challenging boss on this list, he's nevertheless become a
04:58firm fan favourite, and one of the best surprise boss fights in gaming.
05:026.
05:03Stray Demon – Dark Souls
05:05Dark Souls doesn't waste any time throwing players in at the deep end.
05:09Before players even have a chance to get a proper weapon, they're ambushed by the Asylum
05:13Demon, the game's first boss.
05:14It was a shock that gave players a taste of what to expect from this notoriously difficult
05:18game, but this wasn't the only time that players were greeted by an out of nowhere
05:22boss fight.
05:23After defeating the Asylum Demon and arriving at Lordran, players can travel back to the
05:27Undead Asylum by climbing into Snuggly the Crow's Nest.
05:31Once there, they can make their way back to the arena where they fought the first boss.
05:34Although there's no longer a giant demon waiting to pounce on unsuspecting players,
05:38walking into the centre of the room now causes the floor to collapse, and players will find
05:42themselves facing the Stray Demon.
05:44A much tougher version of the Asylum Demon, this boss hits harder and has a devastating
05:48area of effect attack that deals massive damage.
05:51Moreover, players will also take a chunk of damage from falling into the arena, which
05:55puts them at a disadvantage before the fight even begins.
05:58Only a game as devious as Dark Souls would have two surprise bosses in the same room.
06:045.
06:05Jean – No More Heroes
06:07Ultra stylish cult classic No More Heroes follows protagonist Travis Touchdown as he
06:11climbs through the ranks of an elite association of assassins by slicing his way through hordes
06:15of enemies with his lightsaber katana.
06:17It is bloody cool.
06:19With its over the top level of blood gushing violence, collection of ridiculous characters,
06:23and bizarre plotline, this game is outrageously insane in the best way possible.
06:28After achieving the number 2 spot, the time comes for Travis to take his place as the
06:32highest ranked assassin by defeating Darkstar.
06:35However, before he has a chance to lock swords with the final boss, they're suddenly killed
06:39by a woman named Jean, who is the real final boss.
06:42Not only is this the first time that Jean is mentioned, but it's revealed that she
06:45is actually Travis' half-sister, and the one responsible for killing his parents.
06:49Moving fast and hitting even harder, defeating Jean will put players' skills to the test
06:54in what is easily the hardest fight in the game.
06:56While an out of nowhere boss fight usually makes for a rather anticlimactic finale, the
07:00unabashed silliness of this encounter is all part of what gives No More Heroes its rather
07:04roguish charms.
07:064.
07:07Guardian Ape – Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
07:10Although Sekiro Shadows Die Twice put a refreshing spin on the Soulsborne formula by giving players
07:14a grappling hook alongside putting an emphasis on stealth and deflecting attacks, this game
07:19was still full of FromSoftware's notoriously difficult boss fights, and one of these fiendish
07:24foes is the Guardian Ape, who will serve as the final boss at the end of the Sunken Valley
07:28Passage.
07:29A gigantic primate, this boss hits with devastating force and moves with great speed.
07:34After learning their attacks, players will soon succeed in taking this boss down, decapitating
07:38it with the sword that is embedded in their neck.
07:41With the words, Shinobi Execution displayed on screen, players will feel victorious in
07:45their accomplishment, but this feeling is short-lived.
07:48In a cruel trick from the developers, this boss has a surprise second phase.
07:53Picking up both its severed head and sword, the Guardian Ape is even more difficult than
07:57before.
07:58Not only does it have an arsenal of powerful sword attacks, but its head now emits a blood-curdling
08:03scream that inflicts a massive amount of terror damage.
08:06Reaching its climax when severing a grotesque centipede that the titular Shinobi pulls from
08:10inside the ape's body, this is an exhilarating fight that players won't soon forget.
08:153.
08:16Forma – Control
08:17The oldest house in Remedy's sensational Control is bursting with all sorts of strange
08:22and powerful artifacts that protagonist Jesse encounters while exploring the labyrinthian
08:26building.
08:27An anchor, an antique mirror, a rubber duck, and even a thermos from Alan Wake, there are
08:32dozens of wonderfully weird things to find while playing this underrated masterpiece.
08:36But one of the most unusual items that players can discover is a fridge.
08:41Located within the containment sector, it's revealed that someone must be constantly watching
08:44this unassuming appliance to prevent it from deviating.
08:48It's unclear what the fridge is capable of, or how it managed to turn the agent on fridge
08:52duty into a gory pulp when players weren't looking, but things are not looking good.
08:56Normally all it takes for Jesse to subdue an altered item is to touch it, but interacting
09:00with the fridge however sends players into an otherworldly dimension where they must
09:04battle an entity known as Forma.
09:06Dealing high damage and able to destroy chunks of the arena's floor, this is one of the
09:10hardest fights in the game, fitting of its placement within the game's first DLC pack,
09:15The Foundation.
09:16An utterly unpredictable turn of events, the Forma is just one of many, many memorable
09:20moments in this quintessentially Remedy game.
09:232.
09:24Masato Aizawa – Yakuza 5
09:27The long-running Yakuza series has more jaw-dropping twists and turns in its intricate plot as
09:31there are ridiculous side activities for hardened protagonist Kiryu to take part in during his
09:36spare time.
09:37Despite the series' proclivity for pulling the rug from under the player's feet with
09:40its extensive list of portrayals, those who played Yakuza 5 were still taken aback when
09:45Masato appeared at the end of the game as the final boss.
09:48Alongside being a former ally, what really makes this double-cross especially shocking
09:52to the players is that they were told that Aizawa had been killed earlier on in the game.
09:57Moreover, it's also revealed that Aizawa is the son of the antagonist and revered Yakuza
10:00leader Kurosawa, and aims to take the power for himself.
10:04After a lengthy exposition dump where he tells Kiryu everything, Aizawa rips off his shirt
10:08and the pair engage in a brutal and extended fistfight.
10:12Containing plenty of stylish QTEs and paunchy violence, this is one of the most memorable
10:16boss fights in the game, ending the fifth title in the series on an unforgettable high
10:21note.
10:22From its slick action and bombshell revelation, this boss fight encapsulates everything about
10:26what makes the Yakuza series so great.
10:291.
10:30Chakravartin – Azura's Wrath
10:32In the bombastic anime-inspired outing that is Azura's Wrath, players take on the role
10:36of the eponymous demigod as he sets out to defeat those responsible for kidnapping his
10:40daughter and imprisoning him.
10:42By the time that Azura has beaten the final of the seven perpetrators and rescued their
10:46daughter, players are led to believe that the hero's story is over.
10:49However, in an unforeseen turn of events, the game's true ending is contained within
10:53the final four episodes which were released as DLC.
10:57While hiding the finale behind a paywall was a controversial move from developers Capcom,
11:01those who picked up this expansion were in for a treat, as the plot went in a wild new
11:06direction.
11:07In a twist that nobody could have predicted, the final real boss was Chakravartin, the
11:11creator of the universe.
11:12It's revealed that he was the golden spider who appears throughout the game and was pulling
11:16the strings behind the scenes the entire time.
11:19Lasting a whopping 45 minutes, this boss fight against him is so epic, it's as epic
11:24as the game gets.
11:25There are huge story revelations, eye-widening visuals, and over-the-top QTE events that
11:30make the rest of this game look tame in comparison.
11:33Boss fights really do not get any grander than this.